Silent Pain for a Macho Girl
by Gothica13
Summary: Buttercup, age sixteen, is trying to hide a secret. Trying to toughen up and deal it with herself, refusing to cry. She doesn't need anyone to know about her sexual history. She is not one to show weakness. But, maybe she needs her family. One-shot. No pairings. Rated M for language, mild violence, and mentions of rape.


Buttercup, age sixteen, is trying to hide a secret. Trying to toughen up and deal it with herself, refusing to cry. She doesn't need anyone to know about her sexual history. One-shot. Rated M for language, mild violence, and adult themes.

* * *

" _Buttercup_?" The Professor said sternly, knocking on the girl's door. "Let me in."

" _Go away_!" Shouted the green eyed teenager.

"Buttercup, I'm counting to three and you better let me in. _One. Twooo—_ " The door handle clicked.

All week long, the Professor had been noticing a few changes in his green eyed daughter. She hadn't been eating as much of lately. She had been spending too much time in her room—something that was unusual for her because she loved working out in the living room. She was refusing to accept help for her homework and Blossom swore she woke up to the sound of Buttercup's crying one night.

While the Professor would usually attribute most of the symptoms to stress, since high school was tougher on Buttercup than anyone else—crying was a different story altogether. When the Professor asked about it at dinner, trying to open the dialogue up to the family to show her that she had support, it had backfire on him.

* * *

" _I wasn't crying. Blossom's imagining things. Or it could have been Bubbles._ She's _the crybaby." Buttercup said._

" _Hey!" Bubbles exclaimed._

" _You don't need to be name calling. We're trying to help you." Blossom interjected._

" _I don't need help. Nothing's wrong!"_

" _Now, Buttercup, it's okay to cry, nothing's wrong with that." The Professor said._

" _I_ wasn't _crying. God, Blossom, for such a smart girl, you can really be a bonehead sometimes."_

" _Hey!" Blossom cried._

" _Now, Buttercup, there really isn't any need for name calling." The Professor said, trying to keep the peace. "It's not just the crying. You haven't been doing your homework, you rarely eat anything on your plate anymore, and you haven't worked out at all this week. And I know, it's not your 'time' of the month. You don't act this way when you do."_

" _Nothing's wrong! I just haven't been concentrating this week, that's all. And why should I exercise every day? I can take breaks, I may have powers, but I'm still human. I'm not some object for boys to drool over. Fuck boys."_

 _Her sisters gasp as she dared to use such language in front of the Professor. The Professor's face went red with anger._

" _Go to your room, now!"_

* * *

"Buttercup?" The Professor asked calmly, as he opened the door. Inside, she was sitting on her bed, facing away from the Professor. The girls each had their bed now, Blossom's pink bed was placed where their old bed from childhood used to be. Bubble's blue bed was pushed up against the right wall, closer to the windows, on the other side of the room and Buttercup's green bed was pushed up against the left wall, across from Bubbles.

"Nothing's wrong." She said unconvincingly. The Professor was going to start lecturing her about her use of language, but soften when he heard her voice. He came over to her bed and sat next to her, but she turned around so she wouldn't have to make eye contact.

"What was that about?" He asked calmly. "'Fuck boys?' Were you just trying to test my patience? Or…" She looked down. "Oh." He said, before sighing. "Well? What happened?"

"Nothing." She whispered.

"Do you have a boyfriend? Did he break up with you? Are you in love with Ace and he betrayed you again?"

"No." She continued to whisper.

"Do you _not_ like boys? Have you discovered something about yourself?"

"No."

"Does it involve another villain?"

"No."

"Does it involve a teacher? An adult?"

"No."

"Do you like someone and they don't like you back?"

"No."

"Are you in danger?"

"No."

"Do your _sisters_ like him and you don't want to get involved?"

"No."

"Is it serious?"

"I don't know."

"Are you hurt? Did someone try to hurt you?"

"I don't know."

"I'm getting the feeling you _do_ know, but you're just saying 'I don't know' to not say 'yes'. Am I right?"

"…maybe?" She confessed. He turned around on the bed so he could try and face her. She didn't move this time, but refused to look up. He put his arm around her and swayed a little back and forth.

"Do you want to _try_ and tell me? Hmm? I won't tell your sisters." He asked, brushing a piece of raven hair behind her very small ear.

"I-I'll get in trouble. You'll think differently of me."

"I think differently of you girls every year. But it's always positive. You girls are growing up."

"I really screwed up this time." She berated herself.

"Maybe you did, but _maybe_ you didn't. And if you did, you can always fix it."

"There's no fixing _this_."

The Professor was starting to worry about what secret she was trying to hide. "You're not…I mean…"

"…A virgin anymore? You guessed it." The Professor sighed, he thought for a second she was pregnant. Okay, she just wasn't a virgin anymore, _this_ was something he could totally handle.

"Oh, is that all?" He said calmly, trying to show that he wasn't mad and that it wasn't as a big of a deal as she thought it might have be. He read _those_ types of books for single dads raising daughters, he could handle a sex talk. Even though this was still new territory, it could have been a lot worse.

"You're not mad?" She asked, dreading his response.

"I mean, it is such a huge step. But I'm certain you're grown-up enough to make that decision. I mean, my first time was in high school as well."

" _Gross_."

"You're right. It is gross. But it's true. I'm not one to pass judgement when I did the exact same thing."

"Well, there's more." She said. "I mean, you're much more open than other dad's, but I really think you'll be mad at me."

"I'm not mad because you're not a virgin anymore. I'm _concern_ , but not mad. You...you used something, right?"

"Yes." She said, embarrassed, she couldn't believe she was talking to the Professor about this stuff. "But, you should be mad. I wasn't in love or anything. Was just helping a friend." She said, this time she made eye contact with him. He stay silent, allowing her to take her time. She sighed. "I was at Mitch's house…" She looked down.

"Oh. It was Mitch."

"I know, I know. But it wasn't like that. He had been dating some girl for a while. He knew sooner or later they would take things to the next level, but he wanted some experience first, he didn't want to be a virgin when he and the girl...you know...apparently, she had agreed for him to 'practice'—don't ask me why, I think they're one of those open type couples."

"Okay. A very unusual arrangement, but not the worst thing in the world. So, you had volunteer?"

"Well, he made a case that when it was _my_ time, I would also be prepared as well."

"And now you feel guilty? That maybe you wanted to share it with someone you love and not a casual friend?" He tried to guess.

"No, it's not that." She said and then she was quiet once again. A few minutes went by and they both were sitting in silence.

"What is it, honey?" He asked, anxious of her answer.

"I…I don't wanna say."

"You're not in trouble, I promised you. It's good that you're being honest, this is not exactly a pleasant conversation between father and daughter's. But I'm not the typical father and _you're_ not the typical daughter." He said, trying to comfort her.

Another minute went by and she looked up, there were tears in her eyes. "I…I…"

"What happened?" He asked, troubled.

"I-I-I…wasn't ready!" She exclaimed. She began to cry softly, trying to control her tears and taking deep breaths in order to stop any new ones from forming. The Professor kneeled down and hugged her, as her tears soaked into his white coat. She hugged him tightly.

"It's okay, it's okay. What happened?" He said softly.

"Well-well…I-I tried to re-relax. I-I had read up on-on what to do. But-but..."

"Yes?"

"Mitch wasn't very gen-gentle." She confessed, breathing rapidly.

"Oh?"

"God, it-it was stupid. I-I was telling him 'Hey stop-stop that, let me relax first', but-but he kept going, saying 'you-you have to practice to get better, you'll-you'll relax soon enough' and continued…" She paused for a second. "Not being gentle."

" _What?_ " He exclaimed, terrified, he let go of her and looked in her eyes. "Did he, did he…?" Clasping her face, wanting to get the truth out of her so badly.

"Well-well, I try to do it _his-his_ way for a bit, but it was just hurt-hurting me. So I after a few minutes I screamed 'Get-get off of me' and he was confused, like _I-I_ should have been relaxed by then. So I-I punch him and I kept pun-punching him until he got off of me."

" _Oh, Buttercup_!" He exclaimed, grasping his daughter very tightly. "I'm here now, it's okay, honey, it's okay. I'm not mad at all. He shouldn't have done that." He said, getting angry. "He's a virgin too, he doesn't know _what_ he's talking about. You did the right thing, telling him you changed your mind as soon as you changed your mind. And when he didn't listen, you may have hurt him, but _he_ was hurting you at that moment too. It's okay."

"But I keep playing it in-in my head of what would have happened if I did-didn't have my powers. Is it my fault? Should I have-have been more relaxed? I-I did say 'yes', but he-he wouldn't let me relax. And then I said 'no'. Will-will he press charges? I did beat him good. And if he does, I-I don't wanna let the whole city know I'm not a virgin anymore, because _they-they_ would find out and ask me why I-I had beaten up my friend real-real good. 'Powerpuff Girl puff-puffs her power—beats boy into submission while he was on top'. Oh, god, I-I can just see it now. It's-it's _so_ embarrassing. What-what am I going to do? _I'm a slut now!_ "

"No, you are not, young lady!" He cried out. "Look at me." She lifted her head and made eye contact, tears still streaming down her face, but she had a better grip on them this time around. "You are _not_ a slut. Don't ever _call_ yourself a slut. You are a Powerpuff Girl—a Powerpuff _woman_. You had an awful experience, enough to bring charges against _Mitch_ , not you. If anyone ever calls you a slut—or something to that effect—just know that _I_ know the truth, not them."

"I don't want to-to press charges. He made a mis-mistake. He-he didn't understand what he was doing to me. I-I just want it to go away. Pretend it never happened."

"You're a better person than I am, Buttercup. If I was you, I would beat the living snot out of him." He said and as he finished, his own eyes were getting watery. If only he was that type of dad, but he wasn't, his girls were the one's to save him, not the other way around. He never thought he would be in this situation before. The girls could get themselves out of any mess and he knew how to handle the broken bones and scars afterwards, but this was beyond anything he prepared for. "This-this world is so cruel sometimes. And-and it can't always be saved!"

"Professor…" She said, heartbroken that _he_ was starting to cry. "Dad…" She hugged him tightly. The two cried softly into each other's arms.

Out of all of his girls, Buttercup rarely said Dad. Only during his birthday and Father's Day, to clearly emphasis that yes, he was her father and not just a scientist. The other two girls still called him Professor, but said Dad more casually when they wanted his undivided attention.

"But, I-I don't want you to treat me differently." She said. "I-I can still fight crime and be stronger than both of my-my sisters combined. I-I just feel helpless right now, but I-I don't want too. I-I want to be _the_ toughest fighter. I'm just afraid, I-I'm going to let this define me now. That for-for a split moment, I-I was weak."

"You are _not_ weak." He said calmly. He pulled away and looked up at her. He wiped the tears off his eyes. "You-you were lucky. Many tough girls can become victims, but they can pull themselves out of it, just like their non-tough girl sisters." He smiled at her. "If this happened to Bubbles or Blossom, I know I would have to be with them constantly for many weeks, before they could start living again. But with you, you'll still need me for a while, but it won't be for long. You're literally made of tougher stuff. You are _not_ weak."

"I know, but I still don't feel tough right now." She whispered, her tears starting to subside.

"I know, honey. I know." As he hugged her once again, there was a knock on the door. "Not right now, girls! Leave us alone, please!"

" _Professor, Bubbles was eavesdropping and now she's crying._ " Blossom's voice cried out.

"Dammit." Buttercup whispered. "Oh, sorry." She quickly corrected herself when she realized she swore.

"Was it _just_ Bubbles eavesdropping?!" The Professor asked Blossom, lifting an eyebrow. There was a long pause at the door.

" _Uh…we were curious._ " Blossom tried to explain.

"Hmm. Come on in." He said.

"Professor…" Buttercup protested and quickly turned her back away when her sisters came through the door. Bubbles went straight to Buttercup, hugging her from behind. Blossom kneeled down to where the Professor had been, just as he got up.

"Now, Buttercup, I know you didn't want your sisters to know, but maybe it's for the best. I think you need a lot more support than just me. I think you'll get through this faster with your sisters help as well." She continued to look down.

"We-we love you, Buttercup. And we're really sorry!" Bubbles exclaimed, as she cried on Buttercups back. She couldn't stay mad at Bubbles for eavesdropping—Blossom maybe, she should have known better. Buttercup turned around so she could properly hug her sister. Buttercup's own tears had subsided by then, maybe it was Bubbles turn to cry.

"If you want us to beat up Mitch, we can totally do that. And anybody else who tries to call you a slut." Blossom proclaimed.

"Now, let's not riled up the city," The Professor interjected. "I think Buttercup really just wants to keep this private."

"But Mitch will tell, I _know_ he will." Blossom said, she looked at Buttercup. "What do you want us to do?"

"Nothing." Buttercup whispered, continuing to not look at her.

"Nothing?!"

"Just…leave it alone. I don't want to do anything, just leave it alone." She professed.

"No can do, sister." Blossom said. "As the leader, we're in this together. If _I_ was the one who was hurt, you know you would be the first to throw a punch against my wishes. Well, now, _I'm_ doing the same."

"Me too." Bubbles added.

"We won't do anything, but if _anybody_ talks, I'll make sure they'll keep their mouth shut for the rest of their living days." Blossom proclaimed.

"Me too." Bubbles added.

Buttercup continued to look down, allowing Bubbles to sway her back and forth.

* * *

That night as the Professor was coming to say goodnight, he found the blue and green beds put together. Bubbles and Buttercup were crammed up in the green bed, with Buttercup in the middle, staring off into the distance, while Blossom was lying in the blue bed, facing her sister. Bubbles was gently brushing Buttercup's short hair while Blossom was reading a Jane Austen novel.

"Girls?" They all three looked up.

"We didn't want to sleep alone." Blossom said. "Hope that's okay. It was more for Bubbles and myself." Conscious of Buttercup's need not to appear helpless.

He smiled. "It's fine. Just want to say goodnight." He walked over to his angels and sat on the blue bed. "Good night, my sweetheart." He said as he kissed Bubbles on the head. "Goodnight, my leader." He said as he kissed Blossom on the head. "And goodnight to my tough fighter." He said as he kissed Buttercup on her head, she smiled for a split second, before it went away.

He walked away and closed the door.

"It's going to be okay, Buttercup." Bubbles said.

"What happened to you has happened to millions of women throughout history, in fact-" Blossom started.

"I didn't ask for a history lesson. I'm fine. I was just a little emotional because I thought the Professor would be mad, but he wasn't, so I'm fine."

"But we're here for you." Bubbles said.

"It's bad enough now that you guys know. I wanted to keep this private."

"But we're your sister. You know we won't tell." Bubbles said, hugging her. "We love you."

"But now you'll treat me like a baby. I said I don't want to talk about it." She said. "I thought you were reading that stupid story?" Sharply asking Blossom.

"Uh…where was I?" Blossom asked, looking through her book.

"Mr. Darcy had just enter the ball." Bubbles answered.

"Oh yes."

* * *

That night, Buttercup woke up again for the second time, getting out of Bubble's cuddling and sitting up straight. Now her sisters knew and she felt like they were going to baby her for the rest of her life. She wasn't Bubbles, but she still felt helpless. She tried to suck up the tears that were streaming down her face, trying to act all macho, because crying wasn't for her. It was for stupid girls like Bubbles who didn't know how to maintain their composure. Definitely not for someone like her, but she couldn't contain them and was trying her hardest not to bring on the sniffles.

"Buttercup?" Bubbles stirred.

"Go back to sleep. I'm-I'm fine." She said, folding her arms. Bubbles sat up and hugged her, while Buttercup continued to keep her arms folded.

"Blossom?" Bubbles whispered, trying to wake her up. "Blossom?"

"Don't wake her. I'm fine." Buttercup protested, refusing to acknowledge her tears.

"I'm already awake." Blossom's voice announced. She sat up and turned on the light. "You don't always have to be tough, you know, it's okay to cry."

" _Hmph_."

Blossom wanted to get annoyed, but told herself Buttercup was just trying to forget the whole ordeal by hiding her emotions. However, Blossom knew this was in no way going to help her move on, continuing not to acknowledge her feelings. Why could she open up to the Professor, but not to her own sisters? Maybe because Buttercup was their equal and the Professor was a step above them, so she didn't want to show her weakness to them.

"Hmm. I'll be right back." Blossom said as Bubbles continued to rock back and forth with Buttercup.

Blossom went through their closet, trying to find the pesky thing. She went through the old drawers with Bubble's old drawings and her own hair clips. She found an old plan that she formulated in middle school on how to survive middle school—probably should keep that one for their last year at high school. Found Buttercup's old punching bag and Bubble's old drum set—man they kept way too much stuff.

"What are you looking for?" Bubbles asked.

"It's not here. Where is it?"

"What is it?" Bubbles asked. Blossom motioned to Bubbles the object's shape and mouthed what it was, so Buttercup wouldn't hear. It was better to surprised her so she wouldn't resist, then for her to just outright refuse to touch it.

"Oh! It's somewhere with the Professor's stuff. Remember? He took it a while ago." Bubbles said.

"That's right." Blossom said, snapping her nonexistent fingers before running out the door.

"What are you guys doing?" Buttercup asked, trying not to sound too interested, because she was completely fine.

"Blossom's just getting something."

"I'm not a baby. I can deal with it on my own. I'm _fine_."

"Okay." Bubbles humored her.

" _Found it_!" Blossom exclaimed from downstairs. She flew up to their room and jumped on the blue bed.

"Found what?" Buttercup asked, getting annoyed.

Blossom took the article from behind her back and showed Buttercup the pale green fleece blanket that she so loved a long time ago.

"My, my blanket?" She said, remembering the fond memories she had rubbing her face against its silky bumps. She was at first excited, wanting to touch the precious thing, but she compose herself. "I know it doesn't do anything, it's just a dumb blanket. I'm not baby."

"Yes, but it will make you feel better."

"Stop treating me like a child. I'm fine."

"Well, I'm going to bed. I'll just put it right here in case you need it. Let's go to sleep Bubbles."

"But Blossom—" Bubbles said.

"Sleep, Bubbles." Blossom said, winking at her and Bubbles went along with the plan and snuggled up under the covers. "Goodnight." Blossom said, before she turned off the lights.

Good, now they'll leave Buttercup alone. Now, she can just sulk in silent and in the dark. Her favorite type of sulking. Like Batman. Good. Good. She'll be fine in a few days and she can go back to enjoying things again.

 _Slut._ She thought to herself. _Stop thinking that. You've got to get some sleep._ She looked down at where her blanket was supposed to be, although she couldn't quite see its outline. Blossom had turned around and the article was just lying next to her on her back. It didn't look right, green was not her color—at least not that type of green—she looked like a leprechaun.

Buttercup slid down to her back and tried closing her eyes. But her thoughts kept her awake, she could just think what the other kids—and adults—would say.

 _Slut. Whore. Ho. Tramp. Hooker. Bimbo. Hussy. Harlot. Jezebel. Tart. Lady of the night. Floozy._ Although, they probably couldn't come up with all that vocabulary, she at least considered. Some of them were too dumb to know what the word 'floozy' meant. They probably thought it was a soft drink. She sucked at school, but at least she had street smarts.

She reached over for her blanket, ever so quietly, so she didn't give Blossom the satisfaction. But why? Why couldn't she just admit when she felt helpless in front of her sisters? She did it with the Professor. Well, he's her Dad. He understands. But she's not supposed to be Bubbles, she's Buttercup. She has to be the muscle of the team, not the heart.

She clasped her blanket and rubbed its silky fleece on her face, bringing back memories of the times she felt safe in its arms. She began to cry, but this time she let it out and didn't hold back. She used the blanket as a tissue. With it safely in her care, she fell asleep faster than she thought she would.

* * *

That morning, she was the last one to wake up and see her sisters, already dress, staring at her, smiling.

"Can't a girl get some rest?" She said in a snippy voice. Aw, the joyful mornings with Buttercup. "Watcha staring at? My blanket? Well, it's mine. Bubbles has her Octi—that she pretends that she doesn't use anymore—and I have my blanket. I didn't need it, I was just being nostalgic. You guys are always nostalgic."

"We didn't say anything." Bubbles said, humoring her. "We're just glad that you slept alright."

"The Professor says you don't have to go to school today." Blossom said.

" _Why_? I'll fall behind and never catch up—more than usual. No, I'm going to school. I'll be _fine_."

"Okay." Blossom said, already knowing that Buttercup would refuse, Blossom picked up Buttercup's backpack and threw it to her.

The Professor would usually be in his lab in the mornings, but he was up at the breakfast table today, just reading the paper. Although, Buttercup wanted to say something—that she didn't need all this attention—he was just reading the paper, nothing more. He didn't talk much, only asked about some cheerleading practice that Bubbles was doing and then they were off. So, she couldn't really complain.

* * *

When the girls got to school and went their separate ways to their lockers, her nightmare finally came true, someone found out. It was Friday, after all, when most of the gossip would have circulated by then. Perhaps more people knew and just didn't dare to tease her to her face. She hadn't heard any talking behind her back and she could hear really well. The girl in question proceeded to come up to Buttercup when she seemed alone in the hallway. She never met this girl in her life, probably was a neighbor of Mitch's, which is why she felt so confident walking up to her.

"You call yourself tough? You couldn't even handle sex—the most pleasurable thing you're supposed to enjoy." Commented girl, who was shorter than Buttercup and had long brown hair.

Buttercup ignored her, pretending she was not there and continued getting her books on the subjects she knew she was barely passing. Thank god for homework sessions.

"My first time wasn't bad, it hurt at the beginning, but it was fine. So, how could yours be oh so difficult? And with Mitch? Really? Him?"

Again, Buttercup ignored her and started walking down the hall.

"Slut." That crossed the line and for a second, Buttercup wanted to punch her, but just took exhaled and continued walking down the hall—the girls weren't allowed to use their high speed running at school. "Didn't you hear me?" Cried the girl, obviously wanting to get Buttercup in trouble. "I said sl—"

Before she could get the word out, a great wind had rushed over them, with pink and blue lighting beams blinding their vision for a second before they disappeared. Blossom and Bubbles were standing in front of them.

"Well, _we_ could hear you from across campus, I'm sure Buttercup can hear you just fine." Blossom said. The remaining kids that were in the hallway had fled, whatever was going to happen, they didn't want to be collateral damage.

"Whose stupid enough to mess with them!" Screamed a kid, running down the hall.

"We have supersonic hearing." Bubbles said. "Can't help it. And you know something, I can be tough too? Wanna see?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"You'll get in trouble for using your powers just now." The girl said.

"So?" Blossom said, lifting her eyebrow. "A slap on the wrist for using super speed in order to come help our sister. A very small price to pay."

"I thought you were the honorable one?" The girl said.

"Then you have no idea who we really are. Buttercup, do you know this person?"

"No. But it's fine. I'm ignoring her." She said.

"You sure?"

"Yes. Let's just get to our first class. Just leave it alone, she's not doing anything. Come on, class can't start biology without you."

"O-okay." Blossom said hesitantly, trying to respect her wishes.

The three girls walked down the hallway, but the girl, forgetting about their supersonic hearing, whispered, "Bitch-ercup."

The girls stopped dead in their tracks and Buttercup furrowed her brow.

"We're getting her, come on Bubbles." Blossom said as she nodded to Bubbles.

"No, wait… _I_ got this." She said.

"You sure?"

"Definitely." She handed her books to Blossom and turned around. "Somebody's mad." She smiled as she deepened her stare towards the girl.

And with that said, she ran over to the girl and pushed her up against the lockers. She knew she couldn't fight, but frightening the girl was a lot easier anyway. She took her arm and started flying, showing off how much control she had over the girl and how easily she could drop her if they were outside.

"Slut is one thing. Bitch is another." Buttercup threatened. "I'm not going to hurt you…not _here._ But if you continue, I can easily follow you to your home without you knowing. So stop. _This_ slut has limits, so don't break them."

"Put me down!" The girl cried.

"Bubbles." Blossom said. "I get the feeling Buttercup's going to be just fine." Watching her sister use her heat vision to melt a trash can in the corner.

"But can we still imitate people who hurt her? I kind of liked that." Bubbles said, smiling, as she saw her sister take a piece of board and lightly touch it, only for it to turn into sawdust.

"Of course my dear, we are _sisters_ after all." And they both happily watched Buttercup easily dodging the girls punches while her eyes were closed.

For the time being, Blossom and Bubble were happy to get in trouble.

The End


End file.
